It was quite the weekend for the Big Ten and in particular the East division, where Ohio State and Michigan State came away with big-time road wins.
Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer was asked about the strength of the league as a whole this season.
"I'm not surprised at all," Meyer said. "I think our conference is very strong right now and our division has to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in college football."
Ohio State has a bye this weekend before hosting Rutgers on Oct. 1. Meyer said he and the rest of the coaching staff broke down the Oklahoma tape Tuesday morning — assistants were out recruiting the last couple of days — and Meyer said there were still plenty of things his team could work on going forward.
"I was hoping when I watched the tape that everyone would see it the same way I saw it and they did," he said. "We have so much more room for improvement."
Additional Meyer notes:
- Meyer said following the win over Oklahoma that starting cornerback Gareon Conley was expected to be fine. He reaffirmed that notion Tuesday. "He's fine," Meyer said. "He's going to practice today. He'll be non-contact, but he's good to go."
- Meyer was asked if all Power 5 schools should play the same amount of conference games. "I've given it zero thought," he said.
- When asked to assess the play of quarterback J.T. Barrett, Meyer said, "What he can improve on is there are times in the game where he tries to do too much. He does his best when he does the proper reads and distributes the ball.
- Meyer on whether or not Noah Brown's performance surprised him: "I think any receiver that gets four touchdowns, especially against a team like Oklahoma, that would be a surprise."
- Meyer on Greg Schiano's impact: "He's tremendous. He's had an impact on me. ... I knew when this position opened we had to hit a home run because we lost a very good coach."
- On the bye week: "I kind of wish we could keep going because we're in a routine. I wish it was a little bit later in the year, but I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about it."
- Meyer was asked if he sees his wide receiver rotation dwindling as the season goes on: "I think that still remains to be seen."
Outside of Iowa's blunder against North Dakota State, the Big Ten had a strong weekend overall. Ohio State and Michigan State dominated road games against ranked opponents, while Nebraska knocked off a ranked Oregon team at home.
The No. 8 Spartans have another marquee matchup that highlights Week 4 — the first week of conference play — when they host 11th-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. Michigan also hosts Penn State for a 3:30 p.m. battle in Ann Arbor.
Along with Meyer, the league's 13 other head coaches gathered Tuesday for their weekly appearance on the Big Ten coaches teleconference. Some highlights from what each said are below.
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern):
- Fitzgerald said star linebacker Anthony Walker got hurt in fall camp and missed two weeks of practice. "I think he's getting himself back into better game shape."
- Fitzgerald on the strength of the Big Ten this season: "I'm ecstatic for the league. I'm not surprised. There's excellent coaches and excellent talent."
- Fitzgerald said he's not in favor of different Power 5 conferences playing different numbers of league games. "It should be the same for all of the conferences."
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan):
- Harbaugh on defending Penn State running back Saquon Barkley: "He's really, really, really good. He's a real stud. I have tremendous respect for him."
- On Jabrill Peppers' punt returning ability, Harbaugh said, "He can get up to full speed probably in about three steps. That's fast."
- Harbaugh on Michigan's third-down defense: "It's been really good, consistent defense all three of our games."
- On the nine-game Big Ten schedule and if all Power 5 schools should play the same number of league games: "No, I don't have an opinion on that."
- Harbaugh on Penn State's offense. "They don't ever huddle. Very good quarterback and the running back we have the utmost respect for."
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin):
- "We have a ton of respect for what coach Dantonio has done at Michigan State over the last 10 years."
- Chryst: "What Michigan State has done the last few years, that's the bar you're trying to reach."
- Chryst points out the interesting fact that "There's not a player that's played against Michigan State on our roster."
- On Wisconsin's new quarterback controversy, Chryst said, "I told both kids I'm going to need them both."
Mike Riley (Nebraska):
- On Nebraska's win over Oregon, Riley said, "I think it was a great win for us. We have a lot of respect for Oregon and our teams have played them for years and years so it was good to win and it was good for this team to win."
- On quarterback Tommy Armstrong cutting down his turnovers: "It's absolutely through repetition in practice."
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State):
- Dantonio asked if he expects the Wisconsin game to come down to the fourth quarter: "That's the way it's been for us, that's what it's been the past."
- Dantonio also points out none of Michigan State's current players except fifth-year guys have played against Wisconsin.
- On the state of the Big Ten, Dantonio said, "We've always known there's great football played in the Big Ten conference and it's always very competitive."
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa):
- On the dropping the ball before the end zone epidemic, Ferentz said, "Hopefully we don't have anything like that in the future." Ferentz said he did show his team the two clips from over the past weekend.
Tracy Claeys (Minnesota);
- On quarterback Mitch Leidner, Claeys said, "He's always taken the job very seriously. I think he's done a tremendous job."
- Claeys on Minnesota's early bye week: "I'd like to have it in the middle of the year or just past the middle of the year, but it is what it is."
Chris Ash (Rutgers):
- "We have a ton of respect for coach Ferentz and what he's accomplished at Iowa for a number of years."
Lovie Smith (Illinois):
- After back-to-back losses, Smith said, "The bye week is coming at an ideal time for us."
- On Illinois' offensive line, Smith said, "When you have so few yards rushing, of course, there was an issue."
DJ Durkin (Maryland):
- Durkin on Maryland's double-overtime win over UCF: "That was really big for our guys. It was the first adversity we went through as a team."
Darrell Hazell (Purdue):
- Hazell: "I thought last week's bye week was a productive week for us to get things done with our guys and get out on the road recruiting."
- Hazell on former Purdue QBs starting at LSU and Florida this week: "I'm happy for those two guys at LSU and Florida and I hope they do well down there. Purdue has always been the cradle of quarterbacks and it will continue to be that."
James Franklin (Penn State):
- On playing a game at Michigan, Franklin said, "I think it's fun. I think it's exciting. It's a historic program, historic stadium and that's why you come to Penn State to play in games like this."
- Franklin: "We're getting better."
Kevin Wilson (Indiana):
- "Wake Forest comes in undefeated and we know they're going to be a challenge."
